Programmable slow-cooker appliance

ABSTRACT

A programmable slow-cooker appliance, in which a user sets a time and temperature for cooking a food item. A programmable controller prevents the unit from being used solely as a “keep warm” appliance, and a unique design allows cooling of the controller during cooking.

This application claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/189,443, filed Mar. 15, 2000, and to Provisional Application No. 60/196,273, filed Apr. 5, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Time and convenience are in short supply for homemakers wishing to supply a home-cooked meal to family members. Some appliances, such as slow-cooker appliances, attempt to meet this need by providing all-day cooking while a homemaker is absent. Such appliances, however, tend to be of the type where only one temperature and all day cooking is possible, regardless of the food item, and thus potentially subjecting the food item to over- or under-cooking. Another option may be to use a cooking unit with a controller, where a user may set a time or temperature desired. These units, however, tend to be quite a bit larger and more expensive than slow-cooker appliances. If these units are of more reasonable size, they also suffer because the controller inevitably must be placed near the heating element.

What is needed is a cooking appliance in which the user retains control over the time and temperature of cooking, but which is small enough to be convenient. What is needed is a slow-cooker unit in which the controller does not become overheated and damaged by the heating element.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the invention is a programmable slow-cooker appliance, including a heating unit, which includes upstanding sidewalls and a bottom wall. The sidewalls and bottom encompass a heating area. The appliance includes a heating element mounted on the inner surface of the interior wall of the heating unit. In one embodiment, the cooking area may also encompass a cooking unit inside the heating unit, suitable for holding food to be cooked. The appliance includes a programmable controller mounted on its outside, and preferably mounted via a controller housing, which acts to insulate the controller from the heat of the appliance, preferably via a unique system of a heat sink and ventilation. The housing, on the side of the slow-cooker appliance, utilizes ventilation holes on its bottom and top to encourage a chimney effect, in which cool air from the surroundings is drawn into ventilation slots or holes at the bottom of the housing. This air cools the controller, and the air is then expelled from ventilation holes on the top of the housing, convecting heat away from the controller.

Another aspect of the invention is a method of using the programmable controller to ensure that food is cooked according to the desires of a user. The user provides a food item and places the food item into the slow-cooker appliance, as described above. The user sets a cooking time and temperature for the programmable slow-cooker unit, using the controls to set both the time and the temperature. The cooking time according to one embodiment may not be set less than four hours, and the temperature may not be set for less than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius). This prevents a user from accidentally setting the cooker to a “warm” temperature, in which food would only be warmed but not cooked thoroughly before consumption. In one embodiment, if the user sets no time or temperature, but merely turns the cooker on, the cooker defaults to a particular time and temperature, set by the user or the factory, such as a default setting of four hours and 175 degrees Fahrenheit or eight hours and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a prior art slow-cooker appliance having an oval shape that may be utilized in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art embodiment of a cooking unit 14 which may be utilized with the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art cooking unit 39 similar to that shown in FIG. 2, but having a circular shape;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a slow cooker appliance incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a detailed plan view of a portion of the control 200 of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side cutaway view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a heat sink 256 as utilized in the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a side view taken along a line 9—9 of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 10 and 13 are schematic circuit diagrams showing the circuitry and components implemented in preferred embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a wiring diagram showing some of the electric componentry of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is an embodiment of the front panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, one prior art embodiment of a food-heating slow-cooker appliance 10 is shown. The appliance 10 preferably comprises a heating unit 12 and a cooking unit 14. An exemplary slow cooker appliance 10 may be a Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker made by The Rival Division of The Holmes Group® of Milford, Mass. The heating unit 12 preferably has a bottom 16 and a continuous outer sidewall 18. The bottom 16 and an interior sidewall 17 define a well-like heating chamber 20 having an oval cross-section, and the interior sidewall 17 defines an annular lip 22 at an upper edge of the outer sidewall 18 and the interior sidewall 17. The heating chamber 20 has a heating element 24 disposed therein and mounted to the heating unit 12, either under the bottom 16 or additionally between the outer sidewall 18 and the interior sidewall 17. A control switch 26 is conventionally used to provide electricity to the heating element 24. The heating element 24 functions to heat the cooking unit 14 via the heating chamber 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cooking unit 14 has a bottom 28 with preferably a continuous sidewall 30 upstanding therefrom. The continuous sidewall 30 preferably has an annular lip 38 projecting in flange-like fashion from the upper end thereof and a substantially oval cross-section. The cooking unit 14 is adapted to be at least partially received within the heating unit 12 with the annular lip 38 of the cooking unit 14 preferably engaging the annular lip 22 of the heating unit 12, supporting the cooking unit 14 within the heating unit 12. Preferably, the annular lip 38 further defines a pair of handle portions 38(a) and 38(b) to facilitate lifting the cooking unit 14. The cooking unit 14 is preferably made of ceramic with a coating of conventional glazing compound.

The thermal and heat retaining properties of the ceramic cooking unit 14 allow it to conduct heat from the heating chamber 20 through the sidewall 30. This provides even heating throughout the unit 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of the appliance 10 includes a cooking unit 39 having a sidewall 40 and a substantially circular cross-section. This embodiment is preferably adapted to fit within a heating unit having a complementary circular heating chamber. This cooking unit 39 is used in an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4.

In use, the heating unit 12 is provided with a first cooking unit 39. The heating element 24 (not shown) may be powered on and off as necessary to supply heat at a maintained temperature to the cooking unit 39 and the heating chamber via a programmable control 200. The control 200 preferably includes a circuit board housing 210, a control panel 220, and an insulation shield 222 assembled together for attachment to the outer sidewall 18 of the heating unit 12. The interior of the housing 210 contains a printed circuit board 254 (shown in FIG. 7) containing electronic components of the control.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the housing 210 preferably includes a control panel user interface 224 located on an inclined front surface of the housing 210. Preferably, the housing 210 and insulation shield 222 are made from a thermoplastic material such as polypropylene. A pair of side walls 226, a top wall 228, and bottom wall 230 are preferably located adjacent the control panel 224 and support the control panel 224 in an inclined position away from the front of the cooking appliance 10. This gives the user access to the control panel 224, and also locates the controls and componentry within the housing 210 away from a significant amount of the heat generated by the appliance 10. The printed circuit board 254 may be mounted via threaded screws 255 to rearwardly projecting screw receiving portions 258 on the rear side of the housing 210.

The control panel 224 includes a plurality of indicator lights, such as LEDs 262, spaced on the front panel 224. As is well-known in the art, a variety of other indicator devices may be provided, including digital readouts, audible alarms, liquid crystal displays, incandescent lamps or fluorescent readouts. Preferably, the control panel 224 also includes a plurality of cantilevered portions 264 and 266 as shown in FIG. 5. The cantilevered portions 264, 266 preferably include rearwardly projecting fingers 268 (shown in FIG. 7) which translate the depression of the portions 264, 266 toward the rear portion of the housing 210. The fingers 268 are preferably used to depress pushbutton switch portions located on the circuit board 254. A water-impermeable label membrane may be applied over the front of the control panel 224 to label the indicators 262 and cantilevered portions 264 and 266 for the user. The membrane may also protect the front control panel 224 from damage from spilled foods or liquids and facilitate cleaning.

To further protect the electronic componentry within the housing 210 from the heat generated by the appliance 10, the annular shield member 222 is preferably sized for interposition between the heating unit 12 and the housing 210. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shield 222 includes a top wall 232, a pair of side walls 234, and a bottom wall 236. The shield 222 acts as a ventilated spacer to hold the electronic components and the housing 210 at a distance away from sidewall of the cooking unit 12.

In order to dissipate heat that may otherwise be retained between the cooking unit 12 and the rear of the housing 210, an air circulation space is provided within the shield. In particular, as shown in the side cutaway view of FIG. 7, the air space 240 behind the shield 222 may vent warmer air out through an upper elongated slot 242 defined within the top wall 232 of the shield 222. Likewise, an elongated slot 244 is defined into the air space 240 in the bottom wall 236 of the shield 222. Heated air may thus escape through the top elongated slot 242 and cooler air may enter the air space 240 through the bottom elongated slot 244. As shown in FIG. 7, the shield 222 also preferably defines a rearwardly projecting cylindrical flange 246 that extends into the outer wall 18 to allow passage of control and power wiring between the interior of the heating unit 12 and the interior of the housing 210.

In a similar fashion, air circulation is promoted through the housing 210 through a set of openings, preferably defined between the upper portion and the bottom of the housing 210. In particular, a plurality of openings 250 are defined within the bottom wall 230 of the housing 210. An elongated upper slot 252 is provided on the front face 224 of the housing 210. This allows air to freely circulate behind the control panel 224 and assist in the dissipation of heat from the circuit board 254 and its electronic componentry within the housing 210. Preferably, a heat sink 256 is provided as shown in FIG. 7 and positioned between the circuit board 254 and the front panel 224 inside the housing 210. The sink 256 preferably includes a plurality of openings defined therein to allow air to circulate between the openings 250 and 252 and through and around the heat sink 256 to dissipate additional heat therefrom. Also shown is the relative position of cooking unit 14.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a detailed view of the heat sink 256. Preferably, the heat sink is machined from 0.063 inch thick 3003-0 anodized aluminum. The heat sink 256 is preferably bent at a 160 degree angle between a bottom flange portion 256 a and an upper portion 256 b. A centrally located retaining tab portion 256 c is bent parallel with the lower portion 256 a, and the portions 256 a and 256 c are used for attachment of the heat sink 256 to the rear side of the housing 210 interior via the rearwardly projecting screw receiving portions 258. To maximize the dissipation of heat, a plurality of winged sections 257 and 259 are provided on the heat sink 256 and extend outwardly from a center portion 256 a of the heat sink 256. A plurality of openings are defined through the heat sink 256 to allow the fingers 258 of the control panel cantilevered portions 264, 266 to project through the heat sink and contact the circuit board 254 at the rear of the housing 210. The openings 251 also facilitate cooling air flow through and past the heat sink 256 to further dissipate heat therefrom.

The circuit board 254 mounts circuitry and logic allowing the user of the appliance 10 to electronically control and program cooking cycles and temperature. A schematic diagram of the electronic circuitry and components is shown in FIG. 10. The diagram shows a preferred exemplary circuit incorporating preferred components as utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the componentry illustrated herein is exemplary only and that many other components may be substituted to achieve the functions described herein. FIG. 10 includes labels for each of the components of the circuit, and only major components will be described herein.

First, as shown in the diagram, the preferred circuit 300 is preferably built around an EPROM/ROM-based CMOS microprocessor controller 302, such as the PIC16CR54C RISC CPU manufactured by Microchip Technology, Inc. The chip output preferably includes circuited drivers for 6 LED indicators 262 (labeled D3-D8) as shown. These LED indicators may be assigned labels as follows:

LED Indicates D3 On D4 WARM D5 4 HOUR D6 6 HOUR D7 8 HOUR D8 10 HOUR

Two momentary pushbutton contact switches S1 and S2 are used to trigger the “Off” and “Cook” features, respectively, as will be described in the cooking procedure below. Of course, other indicators and switches may be substituted. Note that while examples are given, the circuitry may be implemented in numerous ways, as is well-known in the art, to accomplish the varying programming modes described below.

The temperature of the cooking appliance is measured using a thermistor 310, which is connected externally of the circuit board to the underside of the bottom of the heating chamber. A retention clip 320, shown in FIG. 7, is utilized to hold the thermistor in thermal contact with the bottom 16. In a preferred embodiment, the appliance uses a model USX1732 thermistor manufactured by U.S. Sensor, Inc.

Triac 304, which is preferably a logic Triac Model L4008L6-ND manufactured by Digi-Key, Inc., is utilized to switch the power supplied to the heating elements of the appliance. Preferably, the Triac is of an isolated tab type and includes a heat sink tab that is fastenable to the heat sink 256 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Preferably, the Triac is mounted separately to one of the mounting holes on the center portion 256 a of the heat sink 256 so that the tab is in thermal contact with the heat sink 256 to dissipate heat generated from its current controlling function. Most of the other components of the circuit 300 are mounted on a conventional printed circuit board 254.

FIG. 11 shows the wiring of the external Triac 304 in relation to the circuit board 254 and heating elements 24. As shown in the Figure, the heating elements 24 are in thermal contact with and wrapping around the interior sidewall 17 of the heating unit.

The operation of the appliance 10 is as follows. The programmable circuitry 300 allows the user to set both the temperature and desired time for cooking. The functions of the switches S1 and S2, which are activatable via the cantilevered portions 264 and 266 of the control panel 224, are as follows:

S1. OFF pushbutton—turns the appliance 10 off.

S2. COOK pushbutton—subsequent pushes of the button cycle through 4 hour, 6 hour, 8 hour and 10 hour cook times.

When the unit is plugged in, the power “on” indicator flashes. The user then pushes the COOK button (switch S2) to set the temperature and cooking time. As the user pushes the COOK switch S2, the LED's D5-D8 illuminate to indicate the corresponding time setting as follows.

LEDs

D3. POWER—on when appliance 10 is in cook or warm modes.

D5. 4 HOUR—on when appliance is in 4-hour cook mode

D6. 6 HOUR—on when appliance is in 6-hour cook mode

D7. 8 HOUR—on when appliance is in 8-hour cook mode

D8. 10 HOUR—on when appliance is in 10-hour cook mode

D4. WARM—on when appliance is in half-power mode

Thus, subsequent pushes of the COOK switch S2 activate different cooking modes, as shown by the 6 HOUR, 8 HOUR and 10 HOUR LEDs 262 on the control panel 224. If the COOK switch S2 is pressed in the 10 HOUR mode, the control 200 recycles to the 4 HOUR cooking mode, and its indicator.

In general, full power will be applied to the heating element 24 until the time corresponding to the illuminated LED elapses, after which the power to the heating element 24 is reduced by half, the WARM indicator illuminates and all cook time indicators extinguish. The choices of operation are: 4 or 6 hours on a HI temperature, and 8 to 10 hours on a lower temperature setting. Once the user selects the desired setting, the appliance 10 starts the cooking operation. Once the time setting has expired, the appliance 10 automatically reduces power to the heating element 24 to put the unit in a WARM setting. The unit will stay in the WARM setting until the user pushes the OFF button or unplugs the unit. Of course, other programming schemes are possible.

Preferably, the user cannot set the unit initially in the WARM setting. The system will only go to WARM after one of the time functions has expired. This avoids possible food safety problems that may be associated with cooking food only on the WARM setting. Pressing the OFF switch S1 any time the unit is on preferably removes power from the heating element 24 and extinguishes all indicator LEDs 262.

In another embodiment, the slow-cooker appliance utilizes four push-button switches, rather than two, to set times and temperatures for cooking. An exemplary control panel is depicted in FIG. 12, with control circuitry in FIG. 13. Four momentary pushbutton contact switches 227, 229, 231, 233 are used to trigger various power and setting functions as will be described in the cooking procedure below. Of course, other numbers or types of indicators and switches may be substituted as well. FIG. 13 shows circuitry applicable to such an embodiment, incorporating controller 302, external temperature element 310, digital readout 57, and Power LED 263 and Timer LED 265. The Power LED indicates power is present at the microprocessor controller and the Timer LED indicates that the Timer function is on and working.

The operation of the appliance is as follows. The programmable circuitry allows the user to set both the temperature and the desired cooking time. The functions of the switches 227, 229, 231, 233 on an alternative embodiment of a control panel user interface 225, are as follows:

227. ON/OFF power pushbutton—turns the appliance on and off.

229. TIMER pushbutton—activates stepped timer.

231. UP pushbutton—increases displayed numerical value.

233. DOWN pushbutton—decreases displayed numerical value.

When the unit is plugged in, the unit defaults to 150-degrees F. as shown on the digital display 57. The user may adjust the desired cooking temperature in 25-degree increments using the UP 231 button or the DOWN button 233, with 150 degrees Fahrenheit as a minimum temperature. Once the user has selected the specific temperature, the appliance will start the cooking process.

The user may also select the TIMER mode by pressing the TIMER button 229. In TIMER mode, the controller defaults to 4 hours. The user can use the UP or DOWN controls to increase or decrease the time in 15-minute increments. Once the time is set, the controller 302 will count down the time remaining for cooking in 1 minute increments until the unit “times out”. At that time, the power is shut off from the heating element.

In all modes, the temperature is read periodically by the thermistor or other temperature element and relayed to the controller. The reading is checked at 4-second intervals. If the temperature is above or equal to the set point, power is removed. If it is below the set point, power is applied to the heating element 32. Of course, the circuitry can be modified as desired to achieve various program methods and modes.

Another embodiment of the slow cooker appliance adds a piezobuzzer to the circuitry. A piezobuzzer is simply an electrically-activated buzzer that can be programmed to emit a sound at desired moments. In one embodiment, a piezobuzzer may be installed as an output 315, controlled by the microprocessor controller 302, as shown in FIG. 13, and programmed to emit a sound when desired. In one embodiment, the buzzer may beep to provide feedback to a user when a pushbutton is pushed. The slow cooker may also be programmed to emit a sound to indicate the end of the cooking time. The buzzer may also be used to emit sounds at other desired times.

It is intended that the foregoing description illustrates rather than limits this invention, and that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, which define this invention. Of course, it should be understood that a wide range of changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described above. Accordingly, it is the intention of the applicants to protect all variations and modifications within the valid scope of the present invention. It is intended that the invention be defined by the following claims, including all equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A programmable slow-cooker appliance, comprising: a heating unit; a cooking unit adapted to fit at least partially within the heating unit; a controller housing fixedly mounted to an outside of the heating unit; and a programmable controller mounted to the housing to control the heating unit, wherein said housing is configured to convect heat away from the controller.
 2. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 1, wherein the housing is an enclosure for at least a portion of the controller.
 3. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 2, wherein the controller housing insulates the controller from the heating unit.
 4. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 3, wherein the housing further comprises a heat shield, and the heat shield is made from a material selected from at least one of thermoplastics and insulating materials.
 5. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 4, wherein the housing defines ventilation openings configured to allow air to flow into and out of said housing.
 6. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 5, wherein the housing includes at least a pair of slots defined in an upper and lower part of the housing to define airflow thru the slots and behind the controller.
 7. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises control elements and a display.
 8. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 7, wherein the control elements are selected from the group consisting of a control panel, push-buttons, switches, and a digital readout.
 9. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 1, further comprising a temperature measuring device in communication with said controller.
 10. The slow-cooker appliance of claim 1, further comprising a piezobuzzer.
 11. A control housing for a slow cooker heating unit, said housing comprising: a front wall; a bottom wall defining at least one lower opening, the bottom wall attached to the front wall; a top wall defining at least one upper opening, the top wall attached to the front wall; and a circuit board mounted behind the front wall, the circuit board apart from a wall of the heating unit.
 12. The control housing of claim 11, further comprising a heat sink between the circuit board and the front wall.
 13. A method of using a programmable slow-cooker appliance, the method comprising: providing a food item; placing the food item into a cooking unit of the slow-cooker appliance; selecting a cooking temperature and time using a programmable controller mounted to a housing fixedly mounted to a heating unit; and changing the heating unit temperature automatically to a lower temperature after the selected time.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising notifying a user with illuminated indicators that the slow-cooker appliance is powered and that the timer is active.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the temperature is set by default upon selection of a cooking time.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the time is selected from the group consisting of 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours and 10 hours and the temperature is selected from the group consisting of high and low.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the temperature and time are set in increments.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising cooling the electronic circuitry of the programmable controller via a chimney effect.
 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising emitting a sound. 